Chapter 63

< Multi (2) >

Twist. To PD Yun Byung-seon, Kang Woo-jin's first impression was a complete twist.

‘When he acted as ‘Park Daeri,’ he was mostly tense and a bit cruel, but his real personality feels like a rigid old tree. Does he usually not talk much? What a dilemma.’

He felt a slight sense of crisis.

So far, numerous characters have appeared in domestic variety shows, and many celebrities have come and gone, but among them, the most unnecessary character was someone lacking enthusiasm. PD Yun Byung-seon sensed a faint lack of enthusiasm from Kang Woo-jin.

“Wow, simple answer. Mr. Woo-jin, are you being yourself right now? Are you too nervous?”

PD Yun Byung-seon laughed playfully, but in contrast, Kang Woo-jin maintained a poker face. Self? What is that? Nervousness exploded. This serious Woo-jin solemnly replied to PD Yun Byung-seon.

“I'll do my best.”

Do what? PD Yun Byung-seon was confused. Was this actor's enthusiasm exploding or completely gone? Having seen hundreds, perhaps thousands of celebrities, this was the first time he was at a loss to understand a character.

“Ah, nice to meet you. Then, shall you go and take a seat?”

“Yes.”

Kang Woo-jin, slightly bowing his head, walked slowly to the shooting zone, and PD Yun Byung-seon and the writers watched his back silently.

“Twist... it is, isn't it? Mr. Woo-jin is a very quiet type.”

“He's so calm. How could someone like that act as Park Daeri?”

“That's what real acting is. The character and the real person are completely different. Anyway, the atmosphere is strange, isn't it?”

At this point, Kang Woo-jin.

-Swoosh.

He entered the shooting zone, which was the target of dozens of cameras. A long table was set up, and a large poster of ‘Profiler Hanryang’ hung behind it. There were many small cameras on the table. It seemed the talk would start first, and after the first recording, it would turn into a game studio.

Anyway.

“...”

After scanning the area for a moment, Kang Woo-jin decided and sat at the far end. The lighting was bright, and there were many cameras. Looking straight ahead, dozens of staff members were busy. This scene was half familiar and half unfamiliar to Woo-jin.

‘Ugh, there are so many cameras. Three times more than in dramas, right? Are these small things all cameras too?’

Indeed, the shooting of dramas and variety shows was quite different. Therefore, Woo-jin made his poker face even more intense.

‘Maintain the concept, but answer and react in my own way. Honestly, I don't have the time to think about lines or anything.’

On the surface, he would borrow his usual concept, but he would do it in a way that felt like Kang Woo-jin. His thoughts had been abnormal since the beginning, and his heart rate was still rising.

At this moment.

“Hello-”

Hong Hye-yeon entered the studio, and the atmosphere suddenly lifted.

“Hello, Hye-yeon!”

“PD! Hye-yeon is here!”

Her hair today was natural. Her long, loose hair, jeans, and slightly tight leggings. After greeting PD Yun Byung-seon and putting on a microphone, Hong Hye-yeon turned her gaze to the shooting zone.

“Puff! What are you doing there all alone?”

Seeing the profound Kang Woo-jin, Hong Hye-yeon tried to suppress her laughter. In the lively variety show set, Woo-jin's solitary and silent presence was out of place.

Other actors started arriving one by one. The procession of top actors. Ryu Jeong-min, Hong Hye-yeon, Lee Do-jeong, and others. As each actor arrived, Woo-jin was busy greeting them calmly, and the studio was filled with actors worth tens of billions.

Including Kang Woo-jin, there were a total of seven.

After all the actors were seated, PD Yun Byung-seon, standing in front of the shooting zone, delivered his opening line.

“Very nice to meet you all! Today, I'm here to meet the cast of the super popular drama ‘Profiler Hanryang’!”

The official filming of ‘Sports Day’ had begun. Well, in fact, the cameras had been rolling even before Kang Woo-jin entered.

“First of all—of course, you all know, but still! Please give a simple greeting to our subscribers and viewers.”

At PD Yun Byung-seon's request, Ryu Jeong-min, who was sitting at the first seat of the long table with his usual baby perm, smiled at the camera.

“Hello, I'm Ryu Jeong-min, playing the role of Yoo Ji-hyung in ‘Profiler Hanryang’.”

“Hahaha, but Jeong-min, the baby perm really suits you?”

“Really? My mother says it looks like lettuce.”

A warm atmosphere. Next, Hong Hye-yeon and Jang Tae-san introduced themselves in turn. Finally, it was Kang Woo-jin's turn at the far end.

“You're the actor who's currently gaining a lot of attention, right? Please introduce yourself!”

Cameras, actors, staff, and the entire management team all turned to look at Kang Woo-jin.

However, Woo-jin's expression was firm, and his voice was low.

“Nice to meet you, I'm Kang Woo-jin, playing the role of ‘Park Daeri’ in ‘Profiler Hanryang’.”

Yes, well done. This was enough to pass. Woo-jin silently praised himself for his calm demeanor. But.

“...”

“...”

A few seconds of silence. Then, laughter erupted from the actors and staff. But Kang Woo-jin was clueless.

‘Why? What is it? Why are they laughing and making a fuss? Why?’

Hong Hye-yeon explained the reason.

“Hey, Mr. Woo-jin? Why did you say our drama is ‘Park Daeri’?”

The hearty Jang Tae-san chimed in.

“We need to introduce ourselves again. You, our leader, just changed the drama's title.”

Ryu Jeong-min, sitting at the first seat, corrected him.

“Mr. Woo-jin, you mixed up ‘Park Daeri’ and ‘Profiler Hanryang’.”

Ah, damn. Instantly, Kang Woo-jin felt intense embarrassment. The words he had been repeating in his head had come out backward. Practice had backfired. But he had to maintain his composure. He also had to pretend not to be embarrassed.

“I did it on purpose.”

But the actors didn't believe him.

“What kind of purpose? ‘Profiler Hanryang’.”

“That perfect Park Daeri made a slip of the tongue?”

“What a rare scene! You were like a terminator throughout the filming!”

Kang Woo-jin clenched his teeth and denied it.

“I made a mistake. Really.”

At this moment.

‘Oh?’

Among the dozens of staff members lined up in front of the actors, PD Yun Byung-seon, sitting in the middle, his eyes sparkled.

‘Maybe he'll be unexpectedly funny?’

Then, PD Yun Byung-seon continued the flow and immediately asked Kang Woo-jin a question.

“Yes! Mr. Kang Woo-jin, who played ‘Park Daeri’ in ‘Profiler Hanryang’! You were like a terminator throughout the filming. When was the hardest time for you?”

Kang Woo-jin immediately answered in a cold tone.

“Right now.”

Laughter erupted in the studio again.

At the same time, in a radio booth.

The waiting room of a radio booth that mainly does video broadcasts. A woman was sitting alone, a guest. The mole under her eye was familiar. It was Hwalin, the leader of the popular girl group ‘Ellani,’ wearing a simple hoodie.

Her appearance was casual, but her beauty was undeniable.

She crossed her long legs and checked the simple questionnaire given by the radio writer. For the 8-year veteran Hwalin, it wasn't too difficult.

“Hmm-”

She let out a short hum and took out her phone. She connected to the internet, and the search she had done before coming up was still displayed.

‘Rising star Kang Woo-jin from ‘Park Daeri’ makes his first variety show appearance on ‘Sports Day’ with PD Yun Byung-seon’

She had unknowingly started to follow Kang Woo-jin.

“He was going to appear on a variety show soon, but I didn't expect it to be ‘Sports Day’ so quickly. When is it airing?”

She was curious about the first variety show appearance of the actor Kang Woo-jin. While it seemed more like a promotional show, it was enough to pique her curiosity to see another side of Kang Woo-jin beyond acting.

‘But why isn't there a fan club? I saw his Instagram, and he has over 50,000 followers. Creating a fan club would be a bit much. Wait, why am I thinking about a fan club? Well, even if I don't participate, I can still watch, right?’

At this moment.

-Click!

The thick door of the radio waiting room opened, and a chubby manager entered. Hwalin quickly lowered her phone and raised the questionnaire. Soon, the manager handed her a bottle of water.

“Hwalin, you'll go in 15 minutes. Today, you're only doing parts 1 and 2, and the rest will be done by Bora.”

“Yeah. But the CEO's call was on voicemail. Is he going to nag me about this?”

“I took the nagging. I told him you were preparing for Bora. Still, you should answer the CEO's calls, right?”

“Even if I do, he'll just nag me under the guise of concern. It gets worse after group activities end.”

“Sigh-”

The manager, shaking his head, handed her a few sheets of paper.

“I gave you all the scripts you asked for, but why do I feel like I'm giving you toilet paper? Do you even read the scripts?”

“I do.”

“I've never seen you read them. You've passed over 10, and there's no interest.”

“There's nothing interesting.”

Hwalin, giving a short answer, opened the first of the two scripts she received. At the same time, the chubby manager, sitting next to her, picked up his phone and started explaining.

“Hmm, this is a YouTube music web drama. It's planned to be 10 episodes, and since it's a music web drama, it's in a musical format. It has a slightly childish and flashy feel.”

“It seems to be quite a large production, given that they're sending it to you.”

“I found it a bit strange, so I looked into it. It seems there's some Chinese capital involved in the production company, so the funding seems to be quite solid.”

“Oh, then I'll pass. The atmosphere isn't good, and I don't like getting into trouble for no reason.”

“That's true. There are ‘Ellani’ fans in China, but since the main markets are Korea and Japan, it's better to focus on Japan.”

Next, Hwalin changed the direction of her crossed legs and opened the second script.

“This is from Netflix?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. Netflix is doing a project that compiles short films. This is a winning entry from a contest, and I got it through some connections. The head of the Netflix Creative Team is on good terms with our team leader.”

“I've heard that before.”

“The team leader said it's just for show, so don't take it too seriously. Netflix seems to be paying attention to the short film contest, so there's some funding, and symbolically and for publicity, it's not bad, but you don't have to do a short film if you don't want to.”

Hwalin, letting out a small sigh, read the first line of the script and smiled.

“It starts with a kissing scene.”

“Come on, come on. Hwalin, I'll cut out the small stuff, so just read the big parts. If you accept everything, everyone will send you anything.”

“So what? Look at Hye-yeon. She shot a random short film and it was a big hit. It also boosted her image as a serious actor. Maybe I should do a short film too?”

“Are you crazy? The CEO won't let you.”

“What if he doesn't? If I want to do it, I will.”

“Who's going to stop you, but... are you kidding? It gives me chills.”

“...”

The manager was genuinely surprised, but Hwalin didn't respond. She just read the short film script. In fact, she was thinking.

‘This group activity was too intense. Honestly, I want to do something short.’

For this solo acting activity, she wanted to take it a bit easy. The album had been a hit, and the group activities were quite busy, especially in Japan, where the K-pop wave was strong.

She didn't dislike acting.

Hwalin liked acting so much that she had unknowingly started to follow Kang Woo-jin. She just wanted a break. She needed to recharge. That was all.

Regardless.

-Swoosh.

Chin in hand, Hwalin started reading the short film script intently.

‘Still, a short film isn't bad, right? But if it's a Netflix project, it might be okay.’

Of course, she didn't feel a strong emotional connection.

A few hours later, in the early afternoon, in the ‘Sports Day’ studio.

The ‘Sports Day’ recording, which started in the late morning, was reaching its climax.

“Ding!”

After the talk, they were in the middle of a game. It was called the ‘Person Game,’ where they showed a famous person's photo, and the actor had to say the name within one second. If the seven actors from ‘Profiler Hanryang’ successfully completed the round without mistakes, they would receive a prize.

However.

“Please remove one of the prizes.”

Out of the total 10 prizes, only 3 were left. But the prizes weren't the issue for the actors.

“Ouch! We failed. I'm so sorry to Mr. Seo Jin-se.”

“I... couldn't say Director Kwon Gi-taek's name. I'm going to explode.”

“Ah, PD. This is too cruel, isn't it?”

There were too many people they couldn't name, making it a nightmare. What about Kang Woo-jin?

‘Thankfully, I got through without any mistakes. I'm so lucky.’

Except for one time, his turn didn't come. And that one time was easy, so he smoothly passed.

‘Mr. Ryu Jeong-min, you were a lifesaver.’

But the production team wasn't going to let this slide. Out of the blue, PD Yun Byung-seon suggested changing seats.

“You look desperate, but the turns aren't coming to Mr. Woo-jin. How about changing seats?”

Me? When did I look desperate? Woo-jin, startled, tried to refuse as calmly as possible.

“No, I'm fine where I am.”

“No way! Mr. Woo-jin, change seats quickly! Mr. Jeong-min can't do it. The first seat is the most important!”

However, starting with Hong Hye-yeon, all the actors agreed to change seats, and Ryu Jeong-min moved to Woo-jin's seat like a defeated general.

“Change seats, Mr. Woo-jin. Pass the baton...”

Ryu Jeong-min was very dejected, but Woo-jin was even more serious.

‘Ah, damn. I don't know many celebrities!’

He had no knowledge of the entertainment industry. He didn't watch much content, so he was weak in naming celebrities. Of course, it wasn't just celebrities, but they appeared frequently. It was just a simple game, but Kang Woo-jin's competitive spirit was burning.

Well, he just didn't like losing, right?

So, Kang Woo-jin, while moving to a new seat, resolved to give it his all. This resolve was visible in his expression. His usually indifferent face showed a firm determination, like a general staking his life.

Naturally, Kang Woo-jin's face was captured by the camera.

“Puff! What's up with Mr. Woo-jin? Why is he so serious?”

“Does he think he's going to war? He looks so serious.”

“But he's kind of cute, isn't he? He has a really cynical look, but it's charming.”

Behind the staff's murmurs, Kang Woo-jin took the first seat. The game started immediately.

“Shall we start?”

-Swoosh.

PD Yun Byung-seon showed a photo to Kang Woo-jin. It was a famous Hollywood actor. He hesitated for a moment, but Kang Woo-jin miraculously said the name.

“Oh, Daniel Passbender.”

It was a pass. It was a famous Hollywood actor, after all. The interesting part was that the staff let out small exclamations.

“Wow, the pronunciation.”

Why? Just saying a name, but in that short moment, Kang Woo-jin's English pronunciation was amazing. PD Yun Byung-seon, of course, noticed this.

‘Hmm? The pronunciation...’

But the game continued. Hong Hye-yeon passed, Lee Do-jeong passed, and even the weak link, Ryu Jeong-min, passed. The turn came back to Kang Woo-jin. Finally.

“Oh! Finally!”

“Will we succeed this time?!”

Behind the enthusiastic reactions of the management team, the turn came back to Kang Woo-jin, who was extremely anxious. Regardless.

“Okay, Mr. Woo-jin, this is the last one. It's really easy, I promise!”

-Swoosh.

PD Yun Byung-seon showed a photo. It was a female actor, a beautiful photo. A very familiar face. At that moment, everyone in the studio predicted success. It was too easy.

But.

“Hmm.”

Kang Woo-jin, seeing the